Avondale, Newfoundland and Labrador
This article relies largely or entirely on a single source. (December 2009) |
Avondale | |
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Town | |
Newfoundland Daylight) | |
Area code | 709 |
Highways | Route 1 (TCH) Route 60 Route 63 |
Avondale is a town located on
Up to 1897, the community was known as Salmon Cove,[3] but was renamed to avoid confusion with two other nearby communities of the same name in the Port de Grave and Brigus Districts. The name Avondale was suggested[citation needed] by the parish priest Rev John Roe because of the resemblance to his native area in Ireland, taking the name from Thomas Moore's poem, "The Meeting of the Waters".[citation needed] Earliest record of settlement per Fishing Room Grants is for John Mahaney in 1773,[citation needed] a census of 1812 reports 12 inhabitants. Settlers to the area were primarily Irish Roman Catholic with a smaller number of Jersey French and English.[citation needed] Avondale incorporated the communities of Salmon Cove, Gasters, Northern Arm, and Southern Arm.
In addition to the railway station, it the town hosted a
Its first postmaster was Edward Kennedy[citation needed] who came to the area in 1889 after the railway was built.
Avondale Railway Station
In 1863, the Anglo American Telegraph Company set up a repeater station[citation needed] in Avondale.
In 1881, the Newfoundland Railway conducted a survey of the land and planning preparations were started for constructing a railway out to Harbour Grace, in which Salmon Cove was seen as a convenient place for a station.[4]
Upon completion of the main railway line in 1898, the Reid Newfoundland Company took over the existing railway, and Avondale was one of these existing stations.[5] It was used as a passenger and freight station.[6]
In 1923 the Newfoundland Government took over the railway with the 1923 Railway Settlement Act, where the Government acquired the railway, coastal bats, and dry dock from the Reid Newfoundland Company for $2 million.[7] The Avondale Railway Station then became a part of the Newfoundland Railway once again. In 1931 it was finalized for the post offices and telegraph stations to be managed by Newfoundland Railway agents; the Avondale office was taken over on December 15.[8]
The Avondale railway station remains preserved along with a small display of retired railway cars and a locomotive.
Demographics
In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Avondale had a population of 584 living in 286 of its 346 total private dwellings, a change of -8.9% from its 2016 population of 641. With a land area of 29.69 km2 (11.46 sq mi), it had a population density of 19.7/km2 (50.9/sq mi) in 2021.[2] Avondale has lost approximately one third of its population since 1976 when it numbered 937 residents.[citation needed]
Total Population | 641 |
Population change from 2011 | 0.8% |
Median age | 47.5 |
Number of families | 190 |
Number of married couples | 135 |
Total number of dwellings | 373 |
Land Area | 29.98 km² |
North: Conception Bay | ||
West: Conception Harbour |
Avondale |
East: Harbour Main-Chapel's Cove-Lakeview
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South: Subdivision 1O
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See also
- List of cities and towns in Newfoundland and Labrador
References
- ^ a b "Census Profile, 2016 Census: Avondale, Town [Census subdivision], Newfoundland and Labrador". Statistics Canada. 8 February 2017. Retrieved October 21, 2019.
- ^ a b "Population and dwelling counts: Canada, provinces and territories, census divisions and census subdivisions (municipalities), Newfoundland and Labrador". Statistics Canada. February 9, 2022. Retrieved March 15, 2022.
- ^ a b "Avondale". Encyclopedia of Newfoundland and Labrador. Vol. 1. Newfoundland Book Publishers (1967) Ltd. 1981. p. 99.
- ^ The Evening Telegram (February 17, 1881). "The Governor's Speech". The Evening Telegram. p. 1. Retrieved June 29, 2023.
- ^ Cuff, Robert (2001). "The Reid Newfoundland Company". Heritage Newfoundland & Labrador. Retrieved June 29, 2023.
- ^ Historic Places Canada (October 1, 2005). "Avondale Railway Station". Canada's Historic Places. Retrieved June 29, 2023.
- ^ Cuff, Robert (2001). "The Railway Settlement Act & the Newfoundland Government Railway (1920-49)". Heritage Newfoundland & Labrador. Retrieved June 29, 2023.
- ^ The Newfoundland Weekly (December 26, 1931). "Railway takes over Post Tel. Offices". The Newfoundland Weely. p. 2. Retrieved June 29, 2023.
- ^ a b Heritage NL (June 29, 2023). "Avondale Railway Station Registered Heritage Structure". Heritage NL. Retrieved June 29, 2023.
- ^ a b Collier, Keith (2010). "Roads for Rails: The Closure of the Newfoundland Railway". Heritage Newfoundland & Labrador. Retrieved June 29, 2023.
- ^ a b c d e Mullaly, Kris (February 2000). "Up the Line: Remembering the Newfie Bullet in Avondale". Downhome. pp. 93–96.